The UN Commission on Crimes in Ukraine has almost halved its staff due to the financial crisis
The independent UN international commission investigating human rights violations in Ukraine has encountered serious financial difficulties. Due to the lack of funding, the number of employees of the secretariat was reduced by almost half – from 24 to 13 people. About this reported member of the Commission, human rights defender from India Vrinda Grover.
According to her, the Commission has experienced a significant reduction due to the general freeze on the recruitment of personnel in UN bodies. Currently, it is not possible to fill even key vacancies, including the positions of chief investigator, legal consultant and child rights specialist. Despite these challenges, the Commission continues to work, but due to staff reductions, it is forced to limit the scope of investigations, and the workload on the remaining employees has increased significantly.
Limited funding for travel creates additional complexity. Within the current mandate of the Commission, which covers the period from March 2024 to March 2025, none of its three members was able to personally visit Ukraine. All resources were focused on the trips of investigators who conducted interviews with victims, witnesses, representatives of civil society and the Ukrainian authorities — both in person and remotely.
Grover emphasized that while the online format partially compensates for the lack of a physical presence, its capabilities are limited. At the same time, the Commission continues to scrutinize all the received testimonies and evidence – they are fully verified for reliability and authenticity. The commission was created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate violations related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
